Witness gives first-hand account of daycare shooting

Updated:
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 10:56 AM EDT

CAPE CORAL: Christine Lozier-Dunn was murdered right in front of a group of children. But the situation could have been much worse. NBC2's Kate Eckman spoke to a man who witnessed a heroic act that may have saved lives.

Witness Fred Tavangar says nothing could prepare him for what he saw and heard when he went to pick up his three-year-old grand-daughter Jazmin at school Friday afternoon.

He was inside the Bobbie Noonan Daycare Center when shots were fired - shots that left Christine Dunn dead.

"I heard that first shot. As a grandpa, the first thing that came to my mind was my granddaughter and all the kids," said Tavangar. "My heart started to drop because we didn't know what was going on at that moment."

Tavangar says he heard another gun shot and feared the gunman would kill others inside.

"At that moment, making a decision was not easy because everything happened in about 30 seconds," said Tavangar.

He decided he had to take action. That's when he says an angel appeared.

"A tall lady - she came out screaming and said, 'I got a gun, I got a gun' and she dropped it down on the street outside the building," said Tavangar. "Whoever this woman is, God bless her."

Tavangar calls the woman a hero.

Now, he is mourning the loss of Jazmin's teacher while recalling how much she meant to her students and everyone else who knew her.

"She was a happy face. She was a very happy face," said Tavangar.

The Bobbie Noonan Daycare Center has set up a memorial fund for Christine Dunn's two-year-old daughter, Allyson Dunn. If you would like to donate, you can stop by any local Wachovia Bank to do so.

*Below you can listen to the entire 911 call made from inside the daycare center at the time of the shooting.